In the "Lifting the Vale" quest you are sent to pale pass to score a "Draconian Madstone" for the countess of Bruma.
Anyway after you get it, and it's time to go - Stop.
When you leave the dungeon there is a frozen pond down on the left as you exit the arch.
There is a frozen barrel there with a rusty key and a note inside.
There is a special ring to be had around here somewhere.
As the note says the key contained therein is a "Key to a key".
This key opens a "Rusty Chest" in the tower ruins up on the hill, adjacent to the dungeon you just crawled through.
Now you have the "Old key".
After this however I draw a blank, I searched everywhere for anything to stick this key into and found nothing.
I even reentered the dungeon and all there is is a grate you can't pass through right next to the inside of the entrance. A ruse! I no clipped through it and found 13 gold in it's wooden chest.
I noclipped through the valley and found an "old wooden door" behind the mountain side next to the frozen barrel, it was useless.

Was this extra Pale pass quest scrapped by Bethesda half way through, or am I just looking too softly in the wrong places.
Lets all try and get to the bottom of this bugger, I for one would really want to get my hands on that wizard's ring.

I dont think I can help you with that.. but I have a simmilar question... in Skingrad there's the all things Chemical or something.. inside is the chick that asks you about necrophilia... I got interested so I began snooping around when she was sleeping... I found in that house a room with barrels and crates.. 2 of the barrels need a key and cant be picked. I stole the key of the house wich usualy opens every thing in the house. but it cant open the barrels.. I just wander wats inside...

I know I aint useful to your question but seems like youre a searcher yourself.. thought it might interest you..

I found the wizards ring, it has fortify all magical attributes 10 pts, just got it last night. I was just searching caves I had on my map, i belive that i was searching to the east of the imperial city where the river forks to the north, if i had a map or my map i might be able to tell you the names of the caves visited, i doutbt that it would help since its randomly generated. i know that there were trolls inside. I also created a whitefire dremora bow 22 pt lighting damage 28 pts fire damage, sweet bow.

The ring rests in Pale pass, it's hidden around or in the ruins of the pale pass fort; possibly the valley.

The chest with the ring is close to where you come into pale pass. Looking at the map (not compass) it's south west of where you enter. Next to a rock shaped like a reverse "C". The chest is kinda hidden by some shrubs.

I have only seen the chest... not the bottle or note ^^;;. It's very well hidden however, I barely saw it when I did, it is by one of the small walls left around the area I believe.

Okay, so I found the barrel, got the note and the key. Then I found the chest in the ruined tower, and got that key. I found the final chest which you are supposed to open "Forgotten Chest" near the entrace of the Vale, but the Old Key you get in the tower does not open it. There is a third chest which contains the last key, and I have no idea where it is.

Success! The third key chest is among the ruined walls next to the road that runs through the valley, as mentioned in the above posts. After unlocking the last chest, you recieve the Circlet of Omnipotence, which boosts Agility, Endurance, Speed, Strength, and Willpower by 3pts each, and is worth 3000 septims.

Thanks to you guys for making this thread. These are the types of threads we need to show people that there is more to Oblivion than the quests and that we can look around in the game and find cool stuff like this.

This reminds me of finding the Deadric Crescent in Morrowind where you had to go through a whole bunch of keys to find the item.

I figured this out last night took ages

it says on the note "a few chests" so after you get the barrel face the fort and go around its left side to a ruind tower first chest is there

Second chest is along the road on the way back hiden behind a rock near a old wall

The last one is south west of the exit

I think the ring is worth it

someone couldn't give me a little hint as to where pale pass actualy is could they ^.^.... lol don't give it away but iv been wandering the snowy areas for ages looking for anything that relates to my map....

iv tried looking for the dude that died's wife but can't find her (written at the end of the note).... so no clues there........ also if she does exist can someone just tell me where she lives and i'll go from there!

There is no overland route. You have to travel there through an underground passage.

Can someone tell me where can I find the artefact for the countess

quote Nishlija

Can someone tell me where can I find the artefact for the countess

i think you may be in the wrong entrance or somthing there is a switch right beside the door and when u go close it opens itsself